Duty
by Schingiuire
Summary: He had disobeyed her direct order. The vampire had never done such a thing before. Now, for the first time since assuming control of the organization and her family pet, Integra must bestow severe punishment upon Alucard.
1. Chapter 1

He had disobeyed her direct order. The vampire had never done such a thing before. Integra still could not believe what she had seen. She had ordered him to stay with her men and to protect them from imminent threats and not leave them exposed. Though he had acknowledged her then, Alucard had vanished from the battlefield, leaving her men exposed. Nearly half of the squad had perished as a result. Integra was both shocked and infuriated. In the five years he had served her, since saving her life, Alucard had been frustrating at times, but he had never so blatantly disobeyed her.

Once she had banished Alucard to his quarters, with the threat of dealing with him later, Walter confided, "He must be punished."

"And how am I to do that? Should I deny him blood for a month? And have him be completely useless on missions?"

Integra growled under her breath, glaring through her office window. The sky was beginning to lighten, heralding the sun's arrival. She heard Walter's soft, patient sigh behind her. Somehow it did nothing but infuriate her further.

"What could I do to make an impact on that beast's thick skull?" The question was posed as much to herself as it was to Walter.

"You could punish him in the style of your ancestors, his previous masters," the old man pointed out.

Integra raised an eyebrow, half turning to observe her butler. "And how is that?" she questioned, her tone more intrigued than furious.

Walter inclined his head, frowning slightly as he closed his eyes, seeming to hesitate for a moment before speaking.

"I witnessed your father punishing him once. Arthur was mad with rage at the vampire's behavior and did not care to make the matter private. The Hellsings have a whip, created by Abraham, that is commonly used to punish Alucard for severe infractions."

"My father whipped Alucard in front of everyone?" she asked, stunned. The vampire was a prideful creature. She could only imagine he had not taken that well. It was a small wonder Arthur had lost control of the vampire.

She let the silence stretch between them, returning her eyes to the soft glow of dawn peeking out from behind the expanse of trees that circled the the grounds of the main estate. "No," Integra decided, her tone sounding almost absent, as if her mind were on something else entirely. "I will not whip him. Those were the methods of my ancestors, and obviously, such tactics have not worked. Seeing as he's misbehaved - yet again."  
"Indeed, Ma'am." Walter's lips curved with the barest hint of a smile. "However, he must be punished. Lives were lost because of his actions. Actions that went directly against the commands you had given him."

"I realize that, Walter," she growled in a low tone.

After so many years of the vampire's complete obedience to her, what triggered him? Was he testing her?

"He needs to answer for his actions." Integra waved a dismissive hand over her shoulder, watching light touch the tops of trees some distance away.


	2. Chapter 2

The vampire sat, a smug king upon his throne. Instead of summoning him to her, she had descended into the lower levels to confront him in his own domain. Too often he viewed these lower levels as some sort of escape, a haven to run to where the safety of the stone walls would protect him.

Integra knew better. She'd read the notes of her family in extensive detail and knew this was no domain for him nor a haven or escape. This was his Hell. These stones he fled to knew the sound and pitch of his cries and were as cold to him now as they were then.

"Alucard," she called, entering his quarters, his cell, without any other fanfair. "Explain yourself. Now."

The look in his eyes was far too pleased for her liking. As if he'd done something and gotten away with it without her knowing. Alucard tilted his head back, red eyes glowing in the dimly lit room and observing her with whatever foul thoughts worked their way through his mind.

"The mission was a success, Master," he stated with the sly smirk he typically wore. "Were you not pleased? The targets were eliminated with perfect precision. Just as you commanded."

"You disobeyed me." His behavior continued to anger her. No only had he disobeyed, now he was mocking her for it. As if daring her to bare his nerves to the horrors she could bring him.

"Did I?"

That mocking tone again. He was daring her to correct him, she could see it written in his body language. The vampire sat relaxed, calm, and smug. Integra was confident he knew he'd disobeyed and yet he was far too at ease.

Integra was not sure how to respond, as she'd earlier expressed to Walter. Alucard had never challenged her authority over him in such a way. She'd read her ancesor's journals and knew what had been done to break the vampire. Perhaps because of this, Integra tried to treat him with a bit more kindness than necessary. After all, the only defiance Alucard had ever showed was grumbling and posturing.

That had been a mistake, it seemed. The journals warned against falling into a sense of acceptance of Alucard's servile behavior. Now her men had paid the price of her poor choices.

"What would my father have done?" Integra asked sharply, a deep frown etched into her features. There was a formidable seriousness about her. Alucard loved that expression, the hardness, like that of ancient stone.

He shuddered beneath that gaze, but not out of fear or concern. No. He shivered with delight. Alucard happily sacrificed whatever pain she would bring him to feed on her power, to feel her iron grip tighten around him and force him into his place. It was deeply erotic, and dead flesh hardened in answer.

"Answer me, vampire," her sharp voice pierced him with all the force of Abraham's silver bolts.

"My master," he purred. The rough tone of his voice grated like river stones grinding together. There had once been a time when such growls had unnerved her. "Your father. What value is placed on the phantom actions of a man long dead?"

A searing, exquisite pain bloomed along the nerves of his body. Her anger, given life through the sorceries that enslaved him. The sensation along his body was like grease crackling in a hot pan.  
Alucard felt his lungs seize with unused breath captured along the tubes and muscles that permitted him to speak. He could bask in her fury until his body withered to dust.

"I did not ask you about value, or to insult my father. I will not ask you again!"

His lungs were released from the burning grip, freeing him to speak without her ever having issued a verbal command. Integra was learning.

"Your father, master," he gasped, fighting this vestigial reflex that his body somehow still remembered. "For this, he would have starved me, perhaps." Alucard struggled, feeling her grip squeeze around him, following the trail of his nerves until the pain focused at his heart. This agony was only the start, he knew. This was only for failing to answer her question properly. This was _encouragement_.

A snarl pulled at Integra's lips. Her upper lip curled, baring her blunt human teeth.

"For causing the deaths of seven men, Alucard, I should hope my father would starve you. However, I have a strong suspicion that is not all he would have done."

Alucard inclined his head up to her with a slight sneer over his lips. "You are correct, my Master. He would have drunk whiskey, or perhaps scotch, as his uncle was so inclined to do."

He expected a rush of blood to darken her face in anger. He expected her to snarl and scream at him, perhaps to physically strike him, for all the good it would do. Alucard wanted it. He wanted to see her enraged, wanted to know what she would do, to quell the mystery he had avoided for so long by being perfectly obedient to her every whim.

However, he received nothing. Her expression shifted to one he recognized as a mask of contempt. But there was no anger, not as he would have expected it. Even the pain he had been quivering with faded, her hold loosening its grip over his existence.

The vampire found himself confused and a bit irritated that she had not responded in the way he had expected. The way he wanted.

Integra looked into his eyes. She had touched his mind, felt his desire and it disgusted her. This beast had been so abused by her ancestors that he _desired_ to be further abused. This was all done purposefully so he could feel the pain she would bring him. Unwittingly, she was rewarding this behavior. She controlled her emotions, pressing a mask over her face to prevent him from seeing the boiling of her blood beneath the surface.

"I will answer for you," she stated, keeping her tone emotionless. "My father would have tortured you, though it would have been only a shadow of what my great uncle would have done."

This behavior unnerved the vampire. But he liked her words, the fearful shiver that crawled along his spine in anticipation of her punishment.


	3. Chapter 3

"You are enjoying yourself," Integra accused coldly. "You deliberately disobeyed me so my men would be killed in order for you to enjoy my anger. You sick, disgusting monster."

Integra scowled at him. He wanted her to hurt him, to get some kind of vile pleasure from her punishment.

"Disgusting," she snarled, turning her back to him.

How was she to correct this behavior if it was what he wanted? Normally her response would be to ignore him if he wanted it, but he had crossed a very bold, clear line. His actions had resulted in seven deaths. This behavior needed to be addressed now, and harshly enough he would not try anything like this ever again. Whatever happened, he needed to hurt in a way he absolutely did not desire. A way he would not forget.

With her back turned to him, Alucard's lips tugged into an eager grin. His tongue dragged along the back of his fangs in anticipation for what she would decide. With her realization, he knew whatever she chose to do would be deliciously cruel. He couldn't wait.

"Alucard," Integra began, having difficulty keeping her rage from her tone. "Go to your cell. The one my ancestors so loved locking you in. I will be visiting you later for a conversation you will most certainly not enjoy."

The vampire stood, his nerves continuing to burn softly with the pleasurable remnants her anger had ignited inside him. Bowing low, his hair curling along his back and framing his angular features, Alucard purred to her. "As you wish, my Master."

Integra felt him vanish, his presence leaving the room and dissipating. She flexed her hands, staring at the doorway to his quarters as the gears of her mind turned. How to punish him in a way that would get her point across and make him regret his actions?

Her cold eyes slid around his quarters and settled on his coffin at the back wall, placed as far from humans as his masters would allow. It was the only thing Alucard was allowed to claim as his own. Integra had read the writings of her ancestors. Though she had never had reason to do so, her family had deprived him of his coffin many times in the past. It had always had very positive results in Alucard's behavior according to their records.

Integra approached the coffin, pausing at its side and running a hand over the glossy black surface. Simply removing his coffin from him did not feel a strong enough punishment for his behavior. Alucard was openly defying her simply for the enjoyment of her anger. He needed a more _absolute_ punishment.

Wedging her fingers beneath the lid, Integra lifted and pushed it to the side to observe the contents. The lining inside was a soft velvet with a shallow coating of dirt over the bottom. Alucard was impeccable at keeping it clean.

There were records of Alucard's arrival to the original estate, long before the Hellsing Organization had even existed. This was not the coffin he'd been captured with. Abraham had described the box as some kind of crate filled with Romanian soil. Part of the the old man's efforts in breaking Dracula included destroying that coffin. Much of the soil had also been lost in that process. This was all that remained.

Integra crouched next to the box, removed a glove and dipped bare fingers into the thin layer of dirt.

"Perfect," she muttered quietly to herself. A cruel twist to her lips matched the sharp look within her eyes.


	4. Chapter 4

There was a finality to the closing of the cell door. Ghosts haunted his memory, flooding through his mind like cascading fog as a single bulb flickered overhead. He didn't need the light. It had been installed long ago once electricity had become prevalent. His masters wanted the convenience of not carrying a lantern when they visited him. For several long moments, Alucard remained standing at the top of the few steps that led into his cell and stared at the stone. Shadows moved, shifting with the flickering light, but it did not effect him. Already, he was in the past, watching as a shadow of his former self writhed and screamed at the hands of his captors.

A low rumble escaped his throat. Now it was time for the waiting to begin. Integra, he was sure, would be no different than her ancestors in that respect. She would make him wait before it was time for him to endure the sweet taste of her anger. Alucard relished the time. It would allow his mind a chance to fantasize about exactly what was coming. She would whip him, he was sure of that much. It was, physically, the worst thing she could do to him. It was the that which had played such a strong role in ultimately breaking him before the will of her ancestor.

The vampire walked the boundaries of his cell. One hand pressed lightly to the wall, he circled, letting his fingertips drag over the rough textures of stone and hanging chains. Memories continued to flood his mind, and he closed his eyes to relish each and every one.

Even in the darkness, well below the surface, Alucard was subject to the rule of the sun. It weighed heavy on him as it claimed the sky. With its arrival, the vampire settled himself at the far wall and closed his eyes. Integra may not visit him the next night, or the next. But when she did come, it would be a glorious reckoning he eagerly anticipated.

OoOoO

Integra let him wait. She attended the funerals of those who suffered from her vampire's disobedience. This was her punishment. She must see the faces of wives who lost husbands and children who would never learn from a father's experiences. Integra stood near the graves, watching their sorrow and suffering. All this pain for a vampire's whims. This was all because Alucard wanted to have sport with her and see how much she would hurt him.

The beast would learn what kind of dangerous game it played. If he so badly wanted to taste her anger, she would damn well give it to him. Once she was through, he would never challenge her again.

OoOoO

Alucard lifted his head as the door to his cell creaked to announce a visitor. For nights, he had been tense with expectation and excitement. There was a motion within his frame, not unlike the releasing of held breath, when Integra finally stepped into the dim light. He rose to his feet, watching every movement. There was a visible tenseness in her frame. She was angry.

In her hands, Integra held the familiar whip. The flesh over his body tingled at the very sight of it. Integra held it between her hands. She watched him in return, feeling her anger build with the glee visible in his gaze. For several silent moments, Integra watched the shifting shades of burning hellfire within his eyes. The evidence of his own inner evil.

"I want to hear it from your lips, monster. Why did you do it? Why did you disobey me and have so many of my men killed." Integra closed the distance between them, icy eyes hard with anger. "I command you to speak now and answer me!"

The look he gave her was one of amusement. With his secret already known there was no reason to expend effort in attempting anything different.

"It's all very simple, my Master." Alucard leaned forward and rumbled a low purr. "I disobeyed you entirely for the fun of it. I wanted to see you angry and to feel that anger heat my blood in a way only you could. I want to know what sweet ways you will make me suffer."

Integra scowled and hardened her resolve when the overpowering urge to step back from him washed through her body. Never would she show him that level of weakness.

"Back up," Integra commanded sharply.

He needed to be shown exactly where he lay and how dangerous a game he was playing. At her command, the vampire smiled and inclined his head. With slow steps, he moved away until his back touched the stone wall.

"If all you wanted was to feel pain, Alucard, you could have asked." Integra did not take her eyes from him, but remained where she stood and folded the whip between her hands. "If you're such a masochist as this, to use me as some vessel to get yourself off, I cannot trust you."

To him, the cost of human life meant nothing. The men were expendable. All the humans were. Except for her. The seal mandated she be the center of his world. With a word or a whim she could change everything within his existence.

Integra could feel his thoughts. She knew he was excited for what would happen to him, for the great pain brought by her hand in retribution for his actions. Alucard viewed her as much more lenient than his previous masters, and it was that view that led him to performing the worst crime he was physically capable of managing.

He would learn just how wrong he was.

"Alucard, remove your clothing." Her command was terse.

Let him think he would receive exactly what he desired. That was entirely the game she was playing. The more he'd thought he won the harsher the realization would become. Integra tightened her grip on the whip, rolling the woven silver lash between her fingers to keep his attention on the weapon. Her vampire dropped his eyes to the whip, and she noted a tightening of his muscles. Again she sensed his flood of excitement. Integra felt her stomach roll in response, but kept her face hard. Alucard shrugged off his clothing, the material melting into the shadows of the room. Almost nothing about him was real. Not his clothing, his form, or his behavior. Alucard was a monster made to appear and mimic humanity so it could hunt effectively. The only difference was here, in this house and under her control, he was seen for what he was and could not fool the humans who interacted with him.

Integra kept her eyes on his face, watching the emotion of his expressions. That was the only thing real with Alucard. The vampire had very extreme levels of emotion. Integra stepped close to him, moving the whip to clasp it behind her back. Despite his height advantage over her, she tilted her head proudly and looked down her nose up at him.

"Get on your knees."

Alucard tilted his head and rumbled. He knew where this was going, though he was surprised she wanted less of him exposed. The vampire folded his legs and settled on his knees. Looking up at her, he smirked.

It infuriated her just how easily he obeyed now. Since she'd taken command of him, he'd given her only a few reasons to be irritated with his behavior but never with such expense. Integra worked to calm herself, breathing slowly and keeping her heart rate steady. She was in control, despite how he currently felt. The moment of revelation would be bittersweet.

Integra looped the whip around her arm. "I do not want you thrashing around," she suggested pointedly. A simple gesture to a hanging chain conveyed her meaning.

Of course. Alucard lifted his arms, stretching his wrists to rest near the manacles that hung for exactly that purpose from short chains anchored within the stone. There was no need for him to seek them out. He knew exactly where they were. Once he was secured in place, Integra took a step back from him. Now it was time to reveal her hand. Alucard wasn't going anywhere, and was perfectly primed having marinated in his excitement.

"I had some difficulty decided exactly how to punish you for this, Alucard." Integra unrolled the whip from her arm, straightening then refolding the lash between her hands as she spoke. "There are records of my ancestors' punishments, to be sure."

Alucard listened silently, the constant smirk never fading from his expression. He had become visibly excited. The validation of what his thoughts suggested sickened her more than the beast's emotions ever had.

Her face tightened in disgust as she continued. "From my reading, I believe my father would have beaten you within an inch of your miserable unlife. But," her eyes lowered for a fraction of a moment, then locked back with his. "That is obviously exactly what you were hoping for." Integra lifted the whip, the gleaming lash curled around her fingers, then let it drop to clatter over the stones. Alucard's smirk finally wavered. He stared at the discarded weapon, then back to her. The amusement had been replaced with confusion. It was Integra's turn to smile.

"Abraham documents starving you." She clasped her hands behind her back, approaching him a single step to look down, her own delight brightening her eyes. "However, that isn't very effective for me. I've starved you before. A simple punishment with a short lived effect. I can't have you so weakened on the battlefield, after all." Integra shifted her stance. "So I needed other options. I could have deprived you of comfortable lodging and force you to remain in the sun. However, I doubt that would be very effective as well. What, vampire, do you think I was left with?"

His master was surprising him. Alucard flexed his fingers and shifted his captured wrists in their restraints. There was no escape from the chains, Abraham had long ago seen to that with whatever cursed magic the man wielded. "You do not want me too weak to be of use," Alucard's voice rose to answer her question. The vampire knew he was being baited into something. She'd already decided his punishment and was dragging out the revelation. "You do not want to physically hurt me," he chuckled. "Because it's what I want." Alucard tilted his head back, resting it on the stone and smirked up at her to hide his growing unease and confusion. "I do not know, Master. What __are__ you left with?"

Integra brought her hands back into view with the items she'd kept tucked beneath her jacket out of his sight. She held a sharpened, wooden stake in one and a mallet in the other. At first, Alucard was further confused. She was planning to stake him? Integra should know more than any other just how little of an effect that would have on __him__.

"My master." The vampire's voice was thick with arrogance. "Surely you do not think so simple a weapon to be an effective deterrent for the future."

At his words, Integra raised an eyebrow and turned the stake over in her hand. "Really? The type of wood is very important. My family has warped and conditioned you to withstand most simple woods, but if I were to pierce you with blessed ash, you would have no defense." The woman smirked down at him when his eyes gave away his thoughts. "No, this isn't blessed ash. This is much better." Integra crouched, holding it closer so he could examine it in deeper detail. It was all for show.

The moment Alucard drew a single breath to catch the wood's scent and identify it, she saw the realization bloom within his eyes. Integra didn't give him more than that moment to fully understand what she had done. Sir Hellsing snarled, crouching to press the point of the stake into his chest and hammer it home with three, well placed strikes. He'd tried to stop her, but Alucard was restrained and could only shriek fury and pain as a shard of his own coffin was driven through his heart.

"Now you have your answer," she hissed down at him. "You orchestrated this and disobeyed me so my men would die just so you could enjoy my anger and find out what I would do to you. Now you know, damn beast." Integra watched him writhe. Though she wasn't sure exactly how painful the staking itself would be, the knowledge of his coffin's destruction would be physically agonizing to him.

"My ancestors deprived you of it in response to your behavior before. Now you will be without it for good. The remains heated my bedroom well, last night, but I saved this piece for you." She smirked, gesturing to the shard in his chest. Alucard snarled hate filled words at her, words in his native tongue. Their meaning was completely lost to her but she understood enough from the glow of his eyes and the frenzied way he ripped at his chains. Blood ran from the stake wound, soaking the wood and pooling beneath him on the floor.

Integra crouched, locking her eyes with his as he snapped his teeth and growled like a feral dog. "I understand vampires without a coffin do not experience a restful sleep. You will feel uneasy and unsafe until you can claim another. Something I explicitly forbid, Alucard."

It was very clear he wasn't enjoying his punishment. She'd taken the one thing he claimed as his own and destroyed it. In time, she would give him another, but until then he would suffer every day. Integra watched the range of emotions display across his features. Primarily, there was fury, but it dwindled with his helplessness. Confusion claimed him briefly, then misery. Alucard's struggling stopped, and his head fell forward.

She rose, intending to leave him alone, chained and staked in his cell. Integra felt the bittersweet victory. Alucard would never cross her again. That he had ever thought to challenge her originally was troubling, but she could not deny he was well under control now.

"Master." The vampire's voice was rough. He wasn't able to control his emotion. A well known trait of the species, and Dracula even more so.

Integra paused, wondering if he'd dare make this situation even worse for himself. She didn't look back, waiting for him to speak.

"Is everything gone?"

She detected the shudder in his voice. Oh, he'd been broken low. Integra's eyes narrowed, jaw set, she knew what he was asking about. "No. Not everything. To prevent costing the crown funds in retrieving soil to prevent your strength from deteriorating, I have preserved the dirt. Do not consider it a mercy." She looked over her shoulder at him then, the light reflecting over her glasses. "You will be working hard to __earn__ its use. Do you understand me?"

"I understand, Master." Alucard closed his eyes, mourning the loss of his resting place, an old friend.

Integra did not disappoint. Something he'd learned at great cost.

 **End notes:**

Thank you for enduring this long journey with me. I'm glad you all enjoyed the story! Since the last update I've graduated college, bought a house and moved across the country, and successfully performed a long job hunt! I apologize this update was so long in coming. I had the first draft done before the previous chapter was even posted but it never looked quite complete. I'd been updating it on and off but still was very unhappy with the results. Over the past few days I've tossed out all notes and drafts except for the bare idea of what I wanted to happen and completely rewrote the chapter twice. I'm much happier with this outcome. To bring things into a little perspective, the first draft was less than 700 words. What you see here is over two thousand.

On a final note, I've created a patron site! If you are interested in getting early/exclusive access to Hellsing fanfiction chapters, or if you are interested in following my personal novel as it comes together, please check it out! There is a 'link' in my bio, since FFN doesn't want me to show it here. If it doesn't show up anymore, and you're interested, please message me and I'll get it to you! There will be guaranteed postings every month, as well as exclusive NSFW and other goodies. Thank you for reading!


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